Not to miss

Town Hall

This flamboyant late-Gothic structure resembles an overblown wedding cake full of terraced turrets, delicate statues, fancy stonework and colourful flags. The 236 statues represent prominent locals throughout the ages - scholars, artists and nobility - that were added as an afterthought in the mid-19th century.

Incredibly, the Stadhuis survived relatively unscathed during the wars (although a bomb, which failed to explode, scoured part of the façade). There's not all that much to see inside; most notable are the few sculptures by Constantin Meunier.

Treasury of St Peter's

The St Pieterskerk Treasury boasts two triptychs by Flemish Primitive artist Dirk Bouts (1415-75), who spent much of his life in Leuven. Bouts painted the triptychs between 1464-67, one of which, Het Laatste Avondmaal (The Last Supper), is considered to be one of the period's masterpieces. It mixes the Biblical theme with contemporary Gothic architecture.

Strictly controlled paintings with rich, broad landscapes and static, unmoving figures were Bouts' passion. The panels have a lively history: they were sold off several times and ended up in Germany; returned to Leuven after WWI as part of the war reparations package, they were carted off again during WWII and saw the war out in a salt mine.

Beguinage of Leuven

The cobblestoned 'Groot Begijnhof', a UNESCO World Heritage site, is secured behind large walls near the Dijle River to the south of the town centre. It was founded by the Beguines in 1232, though most of the houses date from the 17th century when around 300 Beguines still lived here. The restored, somewhat sober houses are now a university residential quarter.